The legend of Atlantis has haunted humanity for the third millennium, more than 6 thousand volumes have been written about it. But did this mysterious civilization? If so, when and where? How to interpret the testimony of the ancients? Atlantis is a mystery both for geologists, geophysicists, seismologists, oceanologists, and for historians, archaeologists, art historians and people studying ancient cultures. There is no hope of finding golden statues of goddesses, a temple of Poseidon or anything like that in the depths of the ocean. Erosion processes, sedimentation and other natural processes are ruthlessly destroying the traces of ancient civilizations, but indirect evidence of their existence still reaches us.
Legend of Atlantis. The mythical continent, or the island of Atlantis, was first described Plato (427–347 BC) in dialogues Timaeus and Critias with reference to one of the seven wise men of Ancient Greece - Solona... Plato allegedly learned about Atlantis from his grandfather Solon, who traveled to Egypt and met there with local priests - experts in ancient secrets, who, according to historians and archaeologists-Egyptologists, relied on written evidence left by the ancients more than 30 thousand years ago on those who have not reached before us papyri. It was they who told him the story of Atlantis. According to them, she was somewhere in the Atlantic - west of the Strait of Gibraltar and was named after Atlas, the brother of one of the titans of Greek mythology - Prometheus. According to Plato, the mysterious continent was inhabited by the Atlanteans - a fearless and powerful people who reached the highest level of civilization and fought with a certain pre-Athenian state. It was located in the Atlantic Ocean beyond Gibraltar and died about 12 thousand years ago (between 9750 and 8570 BC), plunging into the depths of the ocean “in one day and a disastrous night” as a result of a grandiose natural disaster.
Where to find Atlantis?If you collect and publish all the data about where Atlantis could be, you would get a fascinating book in which you would have to talk about South America, with which the famous philosopher Francis Bacon (1561-1626) identified Atlantis in utopia New atlantis; and about the North Sea, where near the island of Helgoland, according to the German pastor Jurgen Spanut, there was a mysterious continent, and about the search in the early 19th century from Yucatan to Mongolia and from Spitsbergen to St. Helena. Atlantis was "prescribed" in Brazil, Scandinavia, Palestine, in the Pas-de-Calais, etc. Among the active supporters of its existence were the artist and philosopher Nicholas Roerich and the geologist, academician Vladimir Obruchev. Recently, the views of researchers are increasingly turning to the islands of Crete and Thira (Strongle), in antiquity, the island of Fera. The Minoan culture of these islands perished as a result of a major catastrophe for one and a half thousand years BC. Among the supporters of the latter hypothesis are Anagelos Galanopoulos, Bacon, the tectonist Yevgeny Milanovsky, famous researcher the depths of the sea, the French oceanologist Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who discovered on the periphery of the underwater island of Tire, fragments of structures indicating that the city really died there. But was it Atlantis?
How Atlantis was searched. At the beginning of the 20th century, three expeditions were equipped and sent in search of Atlantis, one of which (the second) was led by Pavel Schliemann, the grandson of the famous discoverer of Troy, Heinrich Schliemann. According to Pavel Schliemann, his famous grandfather left a sealed envelope so that it could be opened by one of the family members who would make a solemn promise to devote their whole life to research, the indications of which will be found in this envelope. Pavel Schliemann took such an oath, opened the envelope and read the letter that was there. In the letter, Heinrich Schliemann reported that he had undertaken research on the remnants of Atlantis, the existence of which he does not doubt and which he considers the cradle of our entire civilization. In the summer of 1873, Heinrich Schliemann allegedly found (during excavations in Troy) a large bronze vessel containing smaller earthen vessels, small figurines made of a special metal, money from the same metal, and objects "made from fossil bones." On some of these objects and on a bronze vessel was written in Phoenician hieroglyphs: "From the king of Atlantis Chronos." But for many researchers, Russian and foreign, this story causes distrust.
The search for Atlantis was and is being carried out everywhere - around the globe. Foreign researchers Renata and Yaroslav Malina in their works about natural disasters and aliens from space, they write that the Atlanteans-seafarers explored the Earth. They say that they traveled by air and under water, photographed objects at great distances, used X-rays, recorded images and sounds on video tape, used a crystal laser, invented a terrible weapon using cosmic rays, and also used antimatter energy. However, the use of the dark forces of nature for selfish ends by ambitious priests and the frequent earthquakes led to the disintegration of the mainland into many islands, which later also disappeared into the sea. And ten thousand years before our era underground explosion also destroyed the island of Poseidonis. Radiation emitted by a large crystal lying at the site of the death of Atlantis leads to the sudden disappearance of ships and aircraft in the famous Bermuda Triangle.
In 1981 and 1984 the Institute of Oceanology equipped two expeditions for test dives of the underwater diving bell and testing other equipment of the research vessel "Vityaz". The research was carried out in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Ampere seamount, located in the Atlantic Ocean about 500 km west of the Strait of Gibraltar and part of the Hosshu seamount system. On the flat top of the mountain, formations were discovered that resembled the ruins of a city. The members of the expedition managed to photograph something similar to the masonry of the wall and make a number of drawings from nature, which served as a pretext for sensational reports in the newspapers. What they saw was surprisingly reminiscent of ancient dwellings in Chersonesos: firstly, cells ranging in size from 5 to 10 m, very similar to the rooms of houses, and secondly, scientists saw many straight parallelepipeds, structures resembling stairs and even something like an arch. Divers chipped off fragments of weathered basalt from one of the alleged masonry, and experts checked them for traces of processing with tools. It was not possible to find an unequivocal answer, however, experts were inclined to conclude that the “walls” are not made by hands and there are no “ruins of the ancient city”. Further careful examination revealed that the mountain is an old volcano, broken by deep cracks, stretching almost at right angles to each other and giving the impression of "rooms". Another thing was more important: when the basalt was subjected to chemical analysis, it became clear that it was formed not under water, but in air, i.e. at the time when Ampere towered above the surface of the ocean.
How did Atlantis die?Turning to Plato's Dialogue Critias, where we are talking about the reasons for the death of Atlantis: “And here Zeus ... thinking about a glorious family that fell into such pitiful depravity, and decided to impose punishment on him, so that he, having sobered from trouble, learned goodness. Therefore, he called all the gods ... and addressed those gathered with these words ... ". It is at this point that the narrative ends. What kind of punishment did Zeus prepare for Atlantis?
Where the myth ends, the painstaking work of scientists begins. Now more and more researchers are inclined to believe that Atlantis could have perished as a result of a strong earthquake or volcanic eruption, and most likely both at the same time. Some scientists believe that Atlantis was destroyed by giant waves - tsunamis, which often occur as a result of earthquakes. But there are also more exotic options. The Polish astronomer L. Seidler believes that the destruction of the continent is associated with the fall of a comet or asteroid on our planet. Astronomer O. Mook put forward a hypothesis about the fall of a huge meteorite in the Florida Peninsula on the Atlantic coast, which occurred, according to his calculations, on June 5, 8499 BC. (according to the Gregorian calendar) and caused the disaster. Hans Schindler Bellamy suggested that Atlantis was wiped off the face of the Earth by giant waves that resulted from the impact of the Moon in the Earth's gravitational field. But, perhaps, the most likely from a geological point of view is the version according to which deep tectonic processes and mutual collisions of continental plates gave rise to both earthquakes and tsunamis that destroyed this civilization. 
Testimonies of the Ancients.What did Plato know about Atlantis? In his dialogues, he reports that Atlantis disappeared in one day and one tragic night - "in one terrible day." Russian poet - symbolist V.Ya. Bryusov in his work "Atlantis" notes that "Plato describes Atlantis already in the state that it reached after several millennia cultural lifewhen there were already many separate kingdoms on the island, many rich cities and a huge population of millions. " And the history of the island itself began with the division of land between three gods-brothers: Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. Poseidon got the island of Atlantis by lot and, in addition, he became the ruler of the seas. When Poseidon received Atlantis, only three people lived on the island - "one of the husbands, at the very beginning, was brought into the world by the Earth, named Eunor with his wife Livkippa and the beautiful daughter Kleito." Poseidon fell in love with Kleito, she became his wife and gave birth to five pairs of twins - the first ten kings of Atlantis.
Poseidon was the first to strengthen the island in order to make it inaccessible to enemies. Around a low hill, gradually turning into a plain, three water and two earthen rings were dug in a circle alternately one after another. In the very center of the hill (acropolis), on a dais, Poseidon built a small temple for Kleito and himself, surrounding it with a wall of pure gold. A palace was built on the acropolis, which was expanded and decorated by each king, and the new one was striving to surpass his predecessor. "So it was impossible to see this building without being amazed at the size and beauty of the works." The kings - children of Poseidon, of course, could not do without bathing, and therefore they built numerous baths on the acropolis. “There were open reservoirs for swimming, and closed for winter time; there were special ones - for the royal family and for individuals; still others - separately for women, and also for horses and pack animals; each one was arranged and decorated according to its purpose. The water coming out of these reservoirs was directed to irrigate the Poseidon forest, where the fertility of the soil produced trees of amazing height and beauty. " The largest and most majestic structure of the acropolis was the temple dedicated to the god Poseidon. It was truly gigantic in size: 185 meters long, 96 meters wide and "appropriate" height. Outside, the large temple was entirely clad in silver, except for the "extremities" made of pure gold. There were many gold statues inside the temple. The largest of them depicted the god Poseidon, who, standing on a chariot, drove six winged horses. The statue of Poseidon was so high that its head almost touched the ceiling, which was trimmed with ivory and all adorned with gold and silver. The walls, pillars and floors inside the temple were completely lined with precious stones. Everything literally sparkled and "lit up", as soon as the sunbeam penetrated the interior of the sanctuary.
Many wonderful things are reported by Plato about the capital of the Atlanteans, and then he goes on to describe the whole country. “The island of Atlantis was very high above sea level, and the coast rose in an inaccessible cliff. Around the capital stretched a plain surrounded by mountains that reached the sea. " Everyone said about this plain that it is the most beautiful on earth and very fertile. It was densely dotted with flourishing villages, separated by lakes, rivers, meadows, where many wild domestic animals grazed. Much came to the Atlanteans from outside, in view of the vastness of their power; but the island itself produced almost everything necessary for life. “Firstly, all metals are hard and fusible, suitable for processing, including the one that we now know only by name: orichalcum: it was found in many places on the island; after gold, it was the most precious of metals. The island provided all the necessary materials for crafts. A large number of domestic animals and wild animals lived on the island, among other things, many elephants. The island gave abundant food to all kinds of animals, both those living in swamps, lakes and rivers or on the mountains and in the plains, and these (elephants), although they are huge and gluttonous. Produced and delivered to the island all the flavors now growing in different countries, roots, herbs, juice flowing from fruits and flowers. There was also a fruit that gives wine (grapes), and one that serves as food (cereals), along with those that we also eat, calling by a common word - vegetables; there were also fruits that simultaneously gave drink, food and incense (coconuts?). Such were the divine and wonderful riches, such, in innumerable quantities, this island produced. " 
Plato goes on to describe political structure the capital and itself, because "with such bounties of the soil, the inhabitants built temples, palaces, ports and harbors for ships and tried to decorate their island." On the happy island, each of the ten brothers - kings had absolute power in their kingdom, but the general rule of the state of Atlantis was ruled by the kings by the Council, to which they gathered after 5-6 years, alternating even and odd numbers. The supreme power always remained with the direct heir of the Atlantean, but even the main king could not sentence to death penalty none of their relatives without the consent of the majority of the kings "while the Atlanteans followed the principles of virtue during the reign and as long as" the divine principle prevailed in them, they succeeded in everything. " But when the "human disposition" triumphed - a base beginning, when they lost all decency and unrestrained greed began to boil in them, when people began to show themselves a "shameful sight", then the God of the Gods - Zeus, seeing the depravity of the Atlanteans, once so virtuous, decided to punish them. "He gathered all the gods in the heavenly sanctuary and addressed them with these words ..."
As mentioned above, this is where Plato's dialogue "Critias" abruptly breaks off and the history of Atlantis and its search for two thousand years begins. The priests mourned the spiritual wisdom of Atlantis, which had defiled itself. Philosophers talked about the divine rulers of this island, poets sang the fabulous perfection of its structure. However, some researchers believe that Plato needed dialogues about Atlantis in order to express his thoughts about the ideal state structure. The story of Atlantis, as Valery Bryusov notes, is not something exceptional in Plato's works. He also has other descriptions of fantastic countries, clothed in the form of myths. But none of these stories is supplied, like the description of Atlantis, with references to sources. Plato, as if anticipating future doubts and objections, takes care to indicate the origin of his information with the greatest accuracy that ancient authors knew.
Probably, the Greek Plato would seriously think about it if he knew what excitement would surround his two works, in which he mentions Ancient Atlantis... Some consider them to be almost the main books - the revelations of mankind, others - false fabrications, a sort of ancient Greek yellow press, desperately distorting the facts. His "Dialogues" - "Timaeus" and "Critias" - by today's standards are two thin brochures, the content of which could easily fit, for example, on the pages of a newspaper. But after Plato mentioned the superstate Atlantis, more than 300 thousand articles have already been written on this topic. 
In addition to the philosopher Plato, who described Atlantis in 360 - 370 years. BC e., other ancient writers also mentioned it. For example, a century earlier, the famous historian Herodotus wrote: “There is Mount Atlas by the salt lake. Narrow and high so that its top all year round shrouded in clouds. From her got the name and localswho are called Atlanteans. " However, skeptics say that these people have nothing to do with Plato's Atlantis. Another ancient Greek philosopher, Theopompus, who, like Plato, lived in the IV century, described a certain giant island - a state with many cities. Once they sent an army of 10 million people across the ocean in order to conquer Hyperborea. But when the conquerors saw how the Hyperboreans live, they considered them unhappy and returned home across the ocean. " True, Hyperborea is also a mythical state, and Theopompus did not mention the name Atlantis. These are the main literary sources where you can get information about the mythical state. There were other authors, but they all worked much later and we can assume that they used the works of the ancient Greek trinity. Valery Bryusov at work Teacher teachers defends the reliability of Plato's story about Atlantis. In his opinion, if we assume that Plato's description is fiction, we will have to recognize him as a superhuman genius who foresaw the development of science for millennia ahead and foresaw the discovery by historians of the world of Aegea, Columbus's voyage to America, the discovery of the Mayan civilization, etc. With all due respect to the great philosopher, such insight is impossible, so a more plausible explanation arises: Plato referred to Egyptian manuscripts that came from the depths of centuries.
The only way to prove that Atlantis existed is to find it. But in 10 thousand years from the moment of the catastrophe at the bottom of the sea, little would remain of it. If the Atlanteans used iron, then no trace of it in the sea water has long been left. Salt water is too aggressive. Only gold has a chance to survive to this day. But the Atlanteans hardly erected golden statues tens of meters high. It is impossible to find smaller objects at the bottom. Another question: what did the aborigines of Atlantis build their houses from? If from granite, basalt and shell rock - building materials the ancient world, then they all have already turned into sand. For ten thousand years, nothing will remain of both wooden buildings and those built of fired clay bricks. Only marble buildings could have survived.
Numerous artifacts found in all corners of the globe suggest the existence of a civilization in the past. And it doesn't matter what it was called: Hyperborea, Lemuria or Atlantis. 2500 years have passed since Plato. Was the civilization of the Atlanteans really, is their fate so tragic, and why has not a single material evidence of their existence been found so far? Almost all the peoples of the world have legends about a certain mysterious land that once went under water. Scientific research in recent years shows that it is too early to put an end to this problem. And many serious scientists and researchers are sure: the next ten years of exploration of the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean will give us irrefutable facts about the existence of the legendary Atlantis. The search for Atlantis can be a unique interdisciplinary study using methods of geology, oceanology, history, analysis of ancient manuscripts and documents. But the biggest difficulty faced
researchers, it is data interpretation and date correlation. Fabulous Atlantis, a mighty and mysterious land of wonders, still keeps its secrets and awaits discoverers. 
The legend of Atlantis - a sunken island where a highly developed civilization once existed, lived a strong, enlightened and happy people - the Atlanteans - has been worrying mankind for more than two thousand years. The only source of information about Atlantis is the writings of the ancient Greek scientist Plato, who lived in the 4th century BC. AD, written in the form of dialogues. In two such dialogues - "Timaeus" and "Critias" - Plato cites the story of his contemporary, writer and politician Critias about Atlantis - "a legend, albeit very strange, but completely true", which Critias heard in childhood from his grandfather, he - from the "wisest of the seven wise" Athenian legislator Solon, and Solon from the Egyptian priests. The Egyptian priests, based on ancient records, said that once in the "Atlantic Sea" (as the ocean was called then) there was a huge island - "larger than Libya (that there is Africa) and Asia taken together. " On this island "a great and formidable power of kings was formed, whose power extended to the entire island and many other islands (...). In addition, they (...) ruled Libya up to Egypt and Europe up to Tyrrenia" (so at that time called Italy) The legend of Atlantis tells that in the original times, when the gods divided the land among themselves, this island went into the possession of Poseidon, the god of the seas. Poseidon settled there ten of his sons, born of the earthly woman Clito.
The eldest of them was called Atlant, after his name the island was called Atlantis, and the sea - Atlantic. From Atlanta came the powerful and noble family of the kings of Atlantis. This genus "has collected such enormous riches, which had not yet happened in the possession of the kings, and even later it would be difficult for such to form." On the island, earthly fruits grew in abundance, various animals were found - "both tame and wild", in minerals were extracted from it, including "one rock, which is now known only by name, (...) - the orichalcum rock, which was extracted from the ground in many places on the island and, after gold, was of the greatest value among the people of that time." on their island beautiful cities with fortified walls, temples and palaces, built harbors and shipyards. The main city of Atlantis was surrounded by several rows of earthen valovikanals - "rings of the sea". The city walls were covered, "kakmasti-koy", copper, tin and orichalcum, "emitting a fiery shine", and the houses were built of red, white and black stone. In the center of the city was erected a temple to Poseidon and Clito. The walls of the temple were faced with silver, the roof was covered with gold, and inside "an ivory ceiling, colored with gold, silver and orichalcum, was presented to the eye. They also erected inside the temple of golden idols - a god who, standing in a chariot, ruled six winged horses, and himself, according to enormous size, the crown touched the ceiling. "The Atlanteans were busy trading, the harbors of Atlantis" swarmed with ships and merchants who came from everywhere, which in their mass day and night deafened the area with shouts, knocks and mixed noise ". Atlantis possessed strong army and a fleet of twelve hundred warships. The code of law that Poseidon himself gave the Atlanteans was inscribed on a high orichalcum pillar set in the middle of the island. Atlantis was ruled by ten kings, each with their own part of the island.
Once every five or six years they gathered in front of this pillar and "consulted about common matters, or tried to find out if anyone had done any wrong, and performed judgment." Atlanteans were distinguished by nobility and a lofty way of thinking, "looking at everything except virtue, with disdain, they valued little that they had a lot of gold and other acquisitions, were indifferent to wealth as a burden, and did not fall to the ground in the intoxication of luxury, losing power over oneself. "But time passed - and the Atlanteans changed, filled with" the wrong spirit of self-interest and strength. " They began to use their knowledge and the achievements of their culture for evil. In the end, Zeus became angry with them and "in one day and a disastrous night (...) the island of Atlantis disappeared, sinking into the sea." According to Plato, this happened in the X millennium BC. Modern scholars argue that the destruction of the island was caused by a catastrophe caused by some of the man-made achievements of the ancient Atlanteans. Disputes over whether Atlantis really existed or was invented by Plato, began in ancient times. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, a friend and disciple of Plato, argued that Atlantis was completely fictional (according to legend, it was on this occasion that Aristotle uttered the famous dictum: "Plato is my friend, but the truth is dearer") Nevertheless, many believed that Atlantis really existed and could To find its traces. Interest in Atlantis over the next centuries either faded, then reawakened, but never completely disappeared. It is estimated that by now about 3,600 scientific works have been written about Atlantis (not to mention numerous works of fiction).
The mystery of Atlantis is described in many works, both adventure novels and serious scientific research. To date, scientists and enthusiastic researchers have put forward more than 1,700 hypotheses about the location of this mysterious continent and the reasons for its disappearance without a trace. However, not so and without a trace.
One of the most prominent scientists of Ancient Greece, Plato, in the works "Critias" and "Timaeus", mentions Atlantis, referring to data from the diaries of his great-grandfather, no less famous Athenian poet and statesman Solon. An Egyptian priest told him about the existence of a large Atlantean country, which had fought with the Greeks for another 9,000. According to this fragmentary information, the land of the Atlanteans was somewhere on the other side of the Pillars of Hercules. According to Plato, according to Solon, Atlantis was a large and rich country with large cities and a very developed economy at that time. The picturesque territory of the country, covered with dense forests, was indented by numerous irrigation canals. Atlantis was a federation of ten kingdoms. The Atlanteans hoped to expand their territory and tried to enslave Athens and Egypt, however, in the fight against the Athenian army, they suffered a crushing defeat. According to the same data, as a result of a terrible earthquake within a day, the mighty Atlantis disappeared forever under water.
Scientists to this day have not come to a consensus regarding Plato's story about this mysterious country. Perhaps Atlantis was just a product of one of the ancient Greek legends? This assumption is supported by the fact that not all of Plato's stories were believed even by his contemporaries. According to these scientists, in such ancient times, 9000 years before the birth of Plato, such a highly developed culture could not exist. I could not, for the simple reason that the end of the ice age had just come. Many scientists agree that cavemen and highly developed Atlanteans could live at the same time. And can it be so that an entire country suddenly disappeared without a trace? Nevertheless, most scientists argue that Atlantis could well exist in reality, because the legends had to have at least some basis, and most of the myths reflected events that took place in reality.
After all, archaeologists have found the ruins of the once mythical ancient Troy, which was also considered a figment of the imagination of blind Homer. And not so long ago, the fact was scientifically proven that the ancient Greeks could make rather long distant voyages on their ships, and, like Odysseus, reach the shores of Colchis, the country of the golden fleece. As for the enormous and destructive force of earthquakes, then, according to geologists, it is really capable of burying a huge territory in a short time.
However, if we assume that Atlantis really existed, another rather important question appears. Where should researchers go, where should they look for this mythical land? Scientists from different times and countries have never been able to come to a common opinion. Some of them believed that mysterious Atlantis sank to the bottom of the central Atlantic Ocean - somewhere between the two continents, Europe and North America. This statement is based on the words of Plato, who noted that the mysterious land was located in front of the strait, called the Pillars of Hercules (framed by the rocks of Abilik and Calpe), which was located at the Strait of Gibraltar. In addition, many of the same species of animals and plants live in these lands. In addition, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, located in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, was recently discovered. The ridge adjoins a vast plateau with a number of ridges, the tops of which form the Azores.
It is likely that this area was once land and about 12 thousand years ago, during a geological catastrophe, sank to the ocean floor. This period just coincides with the supposed time of the existence of Atlantis. After that, the warm current of the Gulf Stream finally reached the shores of Northern Europe, and as a result, the ice age ended in our part of the world. This version of the warming in Europe was put forward by the Russian scientist N.F.Zhirov, as well as some other researchers. It is likely that Azores and the island of Madeira, and there are the very remnants of the lost mainland. According to some scientists, not all the inhabitants of Atlantis died during the collapse of their mainland - some survivors reached shores of Americawhile others made it to Europe. It was they who laid the foundation for the greatest civilizations of Mexico and Peru, as well as Egypt and Mesopotamia. This explains the striking similarities in their architecture, traditions and religions, all the more surprising because the countries were far from each other.
Indeed, the inhabitants of both shores of the Atlantic equally worshiped the Sun, and believed in the myth of the global flood, which was widespread both in Mesopotamia and among the Indian tribes inhabiting South and North America. It is striking that the language of the Basques living in the north of Spain in the Pyrenees mountains is absolutely different from other European languages, but at the same time it is very similar to the languages \u200b\u200bof some Indian tribes. And the ancient pyramids created by our ancestors in Mexico and Egypt have a lot in common.
In addition, in both countries there is a custom of mummification of the dead, moreover, the same objects are placed in their graves. But the main thing is that the places where the burials of the Mayan tribes are located, archaeologists find jewelry made of green jade, which are simply not found in America. Maybe he got there from Atlantis?
According to the legend widespread among the Indians of Peru and Mexico, which tells of the white god Quetzacoatl, he arrived on the mainland on a sailing ship from the edge of the early sun - that is, from the east. God taught the Indian tribes construction and crafts, revealed laws and religion to them, and then mysteriously disappeared. The Peruvians, who did not know about the existence of the Aztecs, believed in the same legend, except with one amendment - their god was called Viracocha. Perhaps these people came from Atlantis? It is believed that their images are found on the walls of the cities of Chichen Itza and Tiguanacu.
Scientists refer to the evidence of the existence of Atlantis and the ruins of ancient Indian cities, the remains of which are located in the Peruvian Andes and the impenetrable jungle of the Yucatan Peninsula.
In the fall of 1970, while inspecting the coastal waters of the Bahamas in the Atlantic Ocean from a seaplane, D. Rebikov, a French archaeologist and aquanaut, noticed strange ruins of some buildings on the ocean floor near the island of North Bimini. Divers who descended under the water found giant walls more than a hundred meters long. They were built from giant blocks, each weighing about 25 tons. Who were they built by? Perhaps the Atlanteans? True, it was soon discovered that these "walls" arose as a result of cracking of coastal rocks that went under water due to the gradual sinking to the bottom of the Bahamas.
They are looking for Atlantis also in the Mediterranean. The most plausible is the opinion of the Russian scientist A.S. Norov, who considered the island of Crete and many small Greek islands to the north of it as the remains of a continent that has sunk into oblivion. The well-known Soviet geographer L. S. Berg agreed with this opinion. Today, the vast majority of scientists adhere to this theory. This version is supported by recent studies in this area and in the Atlantic Ocean.
When studying the area of \u200b\u200bthe alleged death of Atlantis at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, scientists have found that the average thickness of sedimentary rocks in this zone is about 4 meters. At the same time, at the current rate of accumulation of such rocks, which is 10-15 mm per thousand years, this will take at least 300 thousand years, and certainly not 12 thousand, as the supporters of the Atlantic origin of the mysterious Atlantis claim.
In addition, according to the evidence of recent oceanographic studies, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is the result of a geological event, during which the continents of Africa and South America were “torn apart”. Scientists separately noted the features of the drawing coastlines: the western line of the African continent and the eastern line of the South American.
Accordingly, for Atlantis to be located in the Atlantic Ocean, there is simply no place in it. But then what to do with Plato's message about where the disappeared country is located, supposedly located in front of the Pillars of Hercules, that is, the Strait of Gibraltar? Before Plato, the name "Pillars of Hercules" could mean a completely different place. What is it? The controversies of researchers still do not subside.
Regarding the Mediterranean location of Atlantis, assumed by most scientists, they provide a number of sufficiently strong evidence.
For example, it was established that on the island of Thira (Santorini), located in the Aegean Sea, about 3.5 thousand years ago, a volcanic explosion of destructive power took place, similar to the one that was noted in 1883 on the island of Krakatoa in south-East Asia, among the islands of Indonesia. Apparently, this was the greatest geological disaster in the entire history of our planet.
In terms of its strength, the explosion of the Santorini volcano was equal to the explosion of about 200 thousand atomic bombs, identical to those that were once dropped on Hiroshima.
Scientist Garun Taziev calls the approximate date of the explosion - 1470 BC and claims that as a result, about 80 billion cubic meters rose into the air. m of crushed rock, and the waves that arose in the process reached 260 m. Danish scientists reasonably believe that the explosion took place in 1645 BC. e., - almost 150 years earlier.
It was at that time that the islands located in this part of the Aegean were ruled by the Minoans, who achieved tremendous success in science and craft. As a result of a powerful volcanic explosion, it was found that one of the developed cities on the island of Thira and the center of the Minoan civilization, located in Crete, Knosos, perished.
Most of the state's territory was absorbed by the Aegean Sea. Probably, it was this event, the echo of which reached Plato through the centuries, and was reflected in his story about the country of the Atlanteans. True, in Plato's interpretation, the dimensions of the sunken continent are much larger, and the time of the catastrophe has been shifted many thousands of years ago.
In other words, according to the opinion of fans of this hypothesis, in the descriptions of Plato it is just about the state of the Minoans. Indeed, according to his data, Atlantis was a developed maritime power, and the same could be said about the Minoan country, which had an impressive naval fleet. Plato said that fat herds of sacred bulls grazed on the island of the Atlanteans, of which there were a lot just among the Minoans, and they were also considered sacred. On seabed near Tire, a moat was discovered, similar to the one with which, according to Plato, the fortress in the capital of Atlantis was protected. Now the island of Tira is a fragment left after the explosion of a giant volcano. The ruins of the Minoan city, excavated in 1967, lay under a thick layer of volcanic ash and, like Pompeii, are perfectly preserved. Archaeologists have found many colored frescoes and even objects made of wood here.
In 1976, the famous French scientist and aquanaut Jacques Yves Cousteau at the bottom of the Aegean Sea near the island of Crete discovered the remains of an ancient minoan civilization... According to his calculations, it was destroyed during the devastating eruption of the Santorini volcano, which occurred in 1450 BC. e. Nevertheless, Cousteau always considered Atlantis a beautiful fairy tale of Plato.
The authority of Cousteau's opinion forced many scientists to "return" again to the hypothesis of the Atlantic Atlantis. The impetus for this decision was the discovery to the west of Gibraltar of a group of seamounts with table-like peaks located only 100-200 meters below sea level. Many scientists consider these mountains to be the remains of a vast archipelago that sank in ancient times.
A sensation was the pictures taken by a researcher at the Institute of Oceanology of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in 1973. At that time he took part in an expedition on board the Akademik Kurchatov ship. Looking at the eight underwater photographs he took, one can see the ruins of the fortress wall and other structures on top of one of the seamounts.
As a result, carried out in 1983-1984. Investigations, scientists of the research vessels "Akademik Vernadsky" and "Vityaz" with the help of the underwater vehicles "Paysis" and "Argus", confirmed that Mount Amper is an extinct volcano that once sank to the ocean floor. Well, the notorious ruins are far from being creations. human hands, but ordinary natural formations.
This means that the unsuccessful search for Atlantis in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean only confirms the conclusions of scientists looking for traces of its stay in the Aegean Sea. True, some disagreements arose in their slender ranks. The reason for this in 1987 was the Russian scientist I. Mashnikov. He logically rethought the works of Plato and put forward a new hypothesis.
First of all, he disputes the time of the death of Atlantis, as well as some other data of Plato. For example, the number of land and sea forces of the Atlanteans. Judging by the words of Plato, the Atlanteans possessed a huge armada - 1200 ships, as well as an army, according to experts, more than a million soldiers. Accordingly, the army of the Greeks, which defeated the Atlanteans, should have been no less numerous. According to the completely logical reasoning of Mashnikov, in the ice age such a huge army simply had nowhere to come from, given that at that time the population of the entire planet was no more than 3-4 million people, while being at a fairly low level of development.
Accordingly, we are most likely talking about a different, much later time. Mashnikov says that ancient people recorded nine thousand as ten thousand minus a thousand, and, accordingly, nine hundred as a thousand minus one hundred. In the system of calculation adopted in Egypt, a thousand was designated by the sign "M", and in the ancient Greek system, "M" meant ten thousand. Apparently, Solon simply rewrote the Egyptian signs from the ancient Egyptian documents, and Plato understood them in ancient Greek. Thus, 9000 appeared instead of 900 ".
Considering the fact that Solon was "visiting" in Egypt (560 BC) 900 years after the death of Atlantis, the approximate date of the catastrophe is 1460 BC. e. plus a possible error of 100-150 years.
Scientists, looking for Atlantis in the Atlantic, according to Mashnikov, took a false trail, because they did not doubt that the Plato's Pillars of Hercules, behind which this land was located, was the Strait of Gibraltar. But, under the Pillars of Hercules, apparently, they meant some other place. At the same time, Plato has direct indications that make it possible to determine the location of Atlantis. Plato says that the sea border between the Atlantean country and the Athenian state was laid along the Pillars of Hercules. This means that these pillars could only be in the Aegean Sea. In another place in his story, Plato directly points out that Athens opposed the Atlantean state, which can be interpreted not only as a war, but also as a geographical one, that is, they were on the other side - on the peninsula of Asia Minor. At that time there was the land of the Hittites. In addition, according to the author, only here cities were built in a circular plan, creating canals as if outlined by a compass.
But Plato spoke of Atlantis as big islandthat sank to the bottom of the sea. It can be assumed that part of this state was indeed located on an island, though not as large as Plato claimed. Probably, it was this island, and not the whole country, perished as a result of a volcanic eruption or an earthquake, as a result of which only a chain of islands remained, which is now called Sporades. It turns out that Atlantis is actually Hettia or its insular part. In addition, Plato, when retelling Solon, argued that Atlantis was at war with Athens. And from sources known, the fact that in the XIV century. BC e. Egypt was at war with Hitt, and after a while Athens entered the war, according to the historian Herodotus, inflicted a heavy defeat on the Hittites and captured 13 of their cities. Subsequently, the Hittite empire collapsed.
According to I. Mashnikov, the war between the Hittites and Athens is the key to solving another mystery. Obviously, "Atlanteans" is not a nationality, but a contemptuous name for an enslaved people. The sculpture of an enemy who became a slave and propped up the cornice was a symbol of the courage of the victors and the submission of the vanquished. The defeated Hittites were turned into slaves and became Atlanteans, their fallen state began to be called Atlantis. ”Perhaps this reasoning is not far from the truth.
An unusual version of the origin of Atlantis was put forward in 1992 by the German scientist Zangger. Some researchers consider his book on the secrets of Atlantis to be simply brilliant. According to Zangger, Plato's narrative is a distorted memory of the once fallen Troy. This ancient city, which was located near the Dardanelles and was described by Homer in the XII century. BC e. as fallen under the onslaught of the Greeks, was considered a myth. But, in 1871, the ruins of Troy were found by the German scientist G. Schliemann. At the same time, Zangger gives quite a lot of weighty evidence of this hypothesis, especially if we take into account the coincidences in the descriptions of Homer and Plato of the area in which Troy was located.
But what about the fact that Plato is not talking about the plain, but about the large island of Zangger, he believes that Solon is to blame. When reading the hieroglyphic inscriptions on the pillar when visiting the main temple in the residence of the Egyptian pharaohs, located in Saisi, he made a mistake. Allegedly, these hieroglyphs designated a sandy strip or coast. A serious mistake was also made in the designation of the place where Atlantis was located on the other side of the Pillars of Hercules. It is possible that the Dardanelles had this name.
According to the author of this version, another serious error crept into Plato's story, which consisted in the incorrect determination of the time of the catastrophe. Indeed, on the column of an Egyptian temple, a story is written that nine thousand years ago the Greeks overthrew a powerful power - Atlantis. This hypothesis also has a weak side - discrepancies, which the author explains by the mistakes of the ancient sages. In addition, the rationale for determining the date of the war is rather unconvincing.
In general, each of the hypotheses has a certain rational kernel, and only time will tell which of them will turn out to be true in the end. Or a new hypothesis - after all, the riddle of Atlantis has not yet been solved.
An ideal country in which neither the poor nor the rich exist, there are no diseases and senile frailty, life is carefree and happy ... Each of the 6 billion people living on Earth would like to see such a miracle at least for a minute, at least with one eye. Therefore, the history and magic of Atlantis, a country steeped in secrets and mysticism, so attracts people's attention.
For the first time Atlantis is mentioned in Plato's treatises as a state with an ideal political system, a country of demigods and prosperity. Among the ancient myths and legends, the legend of Atlantis is the most colorful and viable. Until now, attempts are being made to decipher the treatises in a new way and find the place where Atlantis was located in ancient times.
According to Plato's descriptions, Atlantis is an island of enormous size, located behind the Pillars of Hercules. In this regard, modern scientists determine the location of the continent in the Mediterranean Sea, beyond the Strait of Gibraltar.
Plato also mentions that Atlantis was on a plain, and exactly in the center there was a hill on which the temples of the Gods were located. The city was surrounded by several spiraling rows of canals filled with water and earth mounds. The inhabitants of the legendary country resembled those of today - they were black-haired and brown-eyed, of an athletic build.
Atlanteans lived in harmony with nature, and possessed knowledge lost today: telepathy, hypnosis, could heal diseases and slow down the heartbeat. These natural abilities are the basis for the legend of the magic of Atlantis, because of which this continent was flooded.
According to legend, over time, the Atlanteans became more greedy and greedy, they strove for material well-being, ignoring spiritual development. The gods were angry with Atlantis and destroyed it within 24 hours. forever hid the continent in the depths of the sea.
The death of a great civilization
Atlantis is swallowed by the waters of the Atlantic 
ocean about 10-12 thousand years ago, although traces of a disappeared civilization are still looking for today. Indeed, in all the ancient myths and legends of the world, a worldwide flood is mentioned, as a result of which almost all of humanity died. Scientists suggest that Atlantis perished as a result of falling to Earth, which caused a tsunami of a universal scale and caused a displacement of the earth's axis, and, consequently, climate change on the planet.
Interesting is the fact that has entered all the myths and legends of the world that the founders of all civilizations that arose after the flood appeared suddenly, sailing from some other, disappeared continent. It is believed that the Atlanteans, who survived the cataclysm, scattered all over the world and passed on their knowledge to the Egyptians, Mayans, and Aztecs ... That is why the historical heritage of these great civilizations is so similar - they all built pyramids, worshiped the Gods, and the priests were the highest caste and mediators between Gods and people.
Atlantis today attracts people and scientists with a magnet, bewitches with mysticism and obscurity. Wherever they have not looked for this continent in the Atlantic Ocean - in the Bahamas, in Mexico, Crete, Cuba, even in the waters of the Antarctic!
In the Bermuda Triangle, deep under the ocean, a pyramid of unknown origin was discovered at the bottom - the first version appeared.
On the island of Tera, one of the islands of the Greek archipelago, ancient ruins of temples and buildings were discovered - the second hypothesis.
On the Altiplano plateau in South America, a plateau with a hill in the middle surrounded by rings was discovered - a third possible hypothesis.
Off the coast of Cuba, with the help of sonar, during scientific research of the bottom, the ruins of a city possibly sunk in ancient times were accidentally discovered - 4 hypothesis.
And the last, relatively recently appeared hypothesis that Atlantis is Antarctica! This idea was led by the fact that on ancient maps Antarctica is marked free of ice, near the equator, between Africa and America. Over time, having shifted to the south, under the influence of deep processes, Antarctica ended up at the South Pole. The mysticism of this fact also lies in the fact that the outlines of Atlantis, presented on the old map of 1665, completely coincide with the contours of Antarctica!
For a long time in the hearts of people there will be a glimmer of hope that it is possible to find an "earthly paradise" and unravel the mystery of the fantastic Atlantis. The attractiveness and magic of Atlantis lies precisely in the fact that it is not known for certain whether a beautiful country existed in general, or it is the fruit of Plato's fantasies about an unrealizable, but so desired world.
The stories of the mysterious disappearance of ships and aircraft in the Bermuda Triangle, supported by the legends of the sunken Atlantis, still excite the minds of many people today. The fate of our highly civilized predecessors, whose existence has not yet been proven, according to Charles Berlitz, became the reason for writing more than twenty-five thousand books and articles. Atlantologists to this day argue about whether Atlantis existed. Many of them believe that she was not in the Atlantic Ocean or even on Earth. Others rely on the meager information that has come down to us from time immemorial.
Most theories about the existence of Atlantis are based on biblical legends and the works of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. In his dialogues “Timaeus” and “Critias”, he refers to the impressions of the Athenian legislator Solon, who visited the ancient Egyptian city of Sais. During a meeting with the Egyptian priests, he was shown the written monuments of Atlantis and told the story of its existence, which he later told to Plato's great-grandfather.
In Plato's Dialogues, it is said that “... in Atlantis there was a large and wonderful empire that ruled over almost the entire island and several others (islands in the Atlantic Ocean), as well as part of the continent. They owned wealth that kings and lords never had before, and which they probably never will.
They lined their temples with silver, and the belvederes with gold ... The roofs were of ivory, decorated with gold, silver and origalcum (maybe a bronze alloy). Everything around was densely populated, the canals and the largest ports were full of ships and merchants sailing from all over the world ... In addition, there were many elephants on the island. "
According to Plato, the end of the beautiful empire came suddenly: "... After that, terrible earthquakes and floods appeared, in one - only day and night of rains ... the island of Atlantis disappeared and sank into the sea ..."
Where was Atlantis and when did it disappear? Plato writes: “… during these days (9000 years before Plato), ie 11,500 years ago, ships sailed in the Atlantic Ocean because there was an island located opposite the strait, which you call the Pillars of Hercules. The island was larger than Libya (North Africa) and Asia (Asia Minor) combined, and served as a route to other islands, and from the islands it was possible to cross the entire opposite continent that surrounded the real ocean, since the sea between the Strait of Hercules ( Mediterranean Sea), - only a bay with a narrow passage, but both are a real sea and the surrounding land can with confidence be called a continent ... ”.
From the writings of Plato, it is not clear whether some of the inhabitants of Atlantis survived and what their further fate was. Does the disappearance of Atlantis have something in common with the global flood or, perhaps, the biblical legends about Noah's ark, the stories of the Mahabharata and the Babylonian legends - different versions of stories about the same cataclysm? And if we ask this question on the pages of our book, it is because modern interpreters of the problems of Atlantis associate the "mysterious" disappearance of ships and aircraft in the Bermuda Triangle with the return of the descendants of the mythical Atlanteans to their native places.
But let's go back to the geological history of our planet. Is it possible that the cases described by ancient legends, myths, biblical traditions and Plato were valid? Is it possible that an ancient continent existed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? These questions also affect the history of the formation of the oceans.
Modern geophysical research reveals significant differences in the structure of the earth's crust of continents and oceans. With the help of seismic methods, geophysicists have proved that the thickness of the continental type of the earth's crust is about 30-40 km under high mountain ranges. And the thickness of the oceanic crust is only 5-15 km. The border between the two types of the earth's crust runs around the 2000 m isobath, where some significant differences arise in their structure.
These data support the initial assumptions that coastal areas of the sea were once vast plains. Sound location, a powerful means of measuring the depth of the sea, offers us an excellent opportunity to map the topography of the seabed. Such maps clearly show the mouths and canyons of ancient rivers that have sunk under the water, the coastline that existed tens of thousands of years ago, the former terraces, as well as other features of modern coastal areas... With the help of such data, we can today reconstruct the position of the ocean surface over a period of tens of thousands of years.
Ocean level deviation from the current level in meters. The abscissa shows time in millennia. 1 - according to Fairbridge - 1961; 2 - according to Carrey - 1968
It is generally accepted that in the last 12 thousand years, after the end of the Wurm Ice Age, the contours of the continents have not undergone significant changes. This means that a change in the ocean level can be a consequence of the natural internal oscillations of the ocean-atmosphere system. As a result of the warming that began 15 thousand years ago, the ocean level, which was then 110 m lower than the current one, began to rise at a rate of 2 cm per year. This increase continued until the period that existed 5–6 millennia ago, after which the rate of increase dropped to 1–2 mm per year.
These processes have apparently led to the flooding of vast coastal areas and many island systems. But is it possible to refer to them in the case of Atlantis? Obviously not, for Plato believes, and the same follows from other legends, that this happened suddenly, and the speed of climatic processes is extremely low. Then we will have to look for an explanation in the tectonic activity of the Earth.
Today there are two main theories about the formation of the ocean - the theory of neomobilism (global plate tectonics) and the theory of oceanization of the continental crust. The first theory is based on the hypothesis of the German geophysicist Alfred Wegener about the continental drift. Wegener suggested that about 230 million years ago there was only one continent on Earth - Pangea and one ocean - Pantalas. The rotation of the Earth led to the fragmentation of the macrocontinent and the horizontal movement of the continents. As a result, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans were formed.
The supposed configurations of Pangea and Panthalas 200 million years ago.
The location of the continents by the end of the Triassic - 180 million years ago.
One of Wegener's strongest arguments in favor of his proposed mechanism for the formation of continents and oceans was the similarity of coastlines on opposite shores of the Atlantic and other oceans. His theory, however, went through a crisis until the sixties of our century, when it was revived again, this time as a theory of neomobilism. The adherents of this theory argue that the Earth is covered with solid plates, moving under the influence of convective motions that occur at a depth of more than one hundred kilometers below the earth's surface. The boundaries between the two plates, according to this theory, coincide with seismically active zones, and not with the boundaries between continents and oceans, as Wegener argued.
According to the theory of neomobilism, by the end of the Triassic period (about 180 million years ago) the formation of the basins of the Atlantic and Indian oceans began. The Tethys Sea divided Pangea into two practical continents - Gondwana and Laurasia. In the same period, South America and Africa are separated, as well as Hindustan, which begins to rapidly move to the north. Today this is evidenced by the traces left by the drift of Hindustan at the bottom. Indian Ocean... Later, as a result of the movement of Africa counterclockwise, and Asia - in the opposite direction, the Tethys Sea disappeared.
Based on information about the geological evolution of the Earth, one can make assumptions about its future structure. Geologists suggest that the Atlantic Ocean will continue to expand, especially in its southern part, and the Pacific Ocean will shrink. Australia will move north and join the Eurasian Plate, while Asia and North America will join in the Aleutian Islands.
There is reason to believe that the Red Sea, one of the most active seismic zones, will continue to expand, Africa will shift to the north, and in place of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden the future ocean will be born. This is also evidenced by the data of geophysical measurements showing that today the African and Indian plates are moving away from each other at a speed of about 2 cm per year. In addition, the temperature and salinity in the deep-water areas of the Red Sea reach extraordinary values \u200b\u200b- 64.8 ° C and 313% o, that is, ten times higher than normal. This anomaly is explained by the rise of molten earth masses through cracks in the earth's crust.
But enough about the geological future of the Earth. Let's go back to her past again. Obviously, the theory of neomobilism does not allow to prove the existence of Atlantis, because the movement of the plates is extremely slow. It remains to turn to the theory of oceanization of the earth's crust.
The location of the continents by the end of the Cretaceous period - 65 million years ago.
In contrast to the theory of neomobilism, the theory of oceanization assumes that the oceans were formed due to the vertical movement of the earth's crust. The continents themselves are horizontally immobile, and the powerful continental crust may, under certain conditions, sink into the liquid asthenosphere. This is due to local overheating of the asthenosphere, a decrease in its density and an increase in its mobility. Moreover, after the subsidence of the continental crust, part of it melts in the asthenosphere and it becomes thinner, forming an oceanic type of the earth's crust.
And yet, when did the earth's crust sink? By answering this question, we can find a clue to the disappearance of Atlantis and many other above-water regions of the Earth. Today it is generally accepted that the formation of the oceans proceeded rather quickly, and over large areas. But the last stage of the formation of the oceans lasted tens of millions of years in the last phase of the geological history of the Earth - in the Cenozoic era. And Plato wrote about a catastrophe that happened about 10 thousand years ago (?).
Today, many Atlantean experts believe that it was in the interior of the Atlantic Ocean, and some even argue that its location coincides with the so-called Bermuda Triangle. Let us then consider a part of the shelf strip in the Florida Peninsula and the Blake Terrace, located at a depth of 800-1000 m under water. The data of seismic studies and soundings carried out by the vessel "Glomar Challenger" confirm that the subsidence of the continental shelf began in the Cretaceous period about 100 million years ago and proceeded very slowly. Later, about 30-50 million years ago, the sinking rate began to increase.
All these are processes of the distant geological past. As for the "relatively recent" sinking of Atlantis, this could have happened as a result of a delayed stage in the process of ocean formation. And yet, if Atlantis existed, then it was large island, not a continent. Today there is strong tectonic activity on the ocean floor. For example, it is assumed that the rupture of the transatlantic cable in 1898 occurred precisely as a result of underwater earthquakes. During its repair, rocks were extracted, the formation of which, according to some scientists, is possible only when it cools down on the surface of the earth. In this case, when then these rocks were above the sea surface.
The attention of atlantologists was also attracted by the results obtained when measuring the level of the ocean using artificial earth satellites. The first radar altimeter was installed aboard the American space laboratory Skylab. During the flight, more than one hundred and fifty series of measurements were carried out from an orbit of 440 km. The results were surprising. It turned out that in the Blake Plateau area there is a decrease in ocean level by almost 4 m, and over the Puerto Rican depression, the ocean level drops to 15 m. The width of the displacement in the Puerto Rico area is about 100 km. The most interesting, however, is that these measurements in the topography of the ocean surface are closely related to measurements of the bottom topography.
The surface of the ocean, although we used to think of it as horizontal, has its own topography. For example, the difference between the sea level on both sides of the Gulf Stream is about 1 m per 100 km and persists throughout most of the North American coast. A direct consequence of this slope is the speed with which the stream moves ... A simple arithmetic calculation shows that a displacement of 15 m per 100 km will lead to the formation of currents that will be 15 times faster than the Gulf Stream! With a Gulf Stream speed of 1 m / s, this would mean that in the Puerto Rican anomaly, the current speed would be 15 m / s! But only the wind blows at this speed in the atmosphere, in the ocean it is ten times less.
The sea surface reaches its lowest point in the Puerto Rican depression.
Skylab trajectory projection on June 4, 1973 (a); ocean level measured with satellite altimeter (6); seabed relief under the satellite trajectory (c).
Soon after this discovery, some of the interpreters of the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle were inclined to explain the disappearance of ships by falling into "holes" in which the water rotates at a terrible speed and "sucks" them into the depths of the sea. This interpretation is completely inconsistent, since all these effects may not be associated with sea currents. According to many scientists, in areas with a sharp increase in ocean depth, significant quantities of compacted earth masses lie. As a result, the gravity in them is stronger, the water is compressed more, and therefore the sea level is lower. Calculations show that in the Puerto Rico area, the sea surface should not be horizontal at all. If it were horizontal, then in this case one would expect the appearance of giant whirlpools.
But let's, all the same, listen to the assumption of gravitational anomalies, say some modern researchers of the Bermuda Triangle. Then the conclusion involuntarily suggests itself that the Bermuda Triangle and Atlantis are two sides of the same problem. The ancient civilization, for reasons unknown to us, disappeared under water, and its "high-energy" sources led to this compaction, or they still function and are the cause of gravitational and electromagnetic phenomena in this area.
However, ocean surface anomalies are not an isolated phenomenon, characteristic only of the Puerto Rican Trench. Altimetry measurements show that similar anomalies are also noted east of Brazil, in the southern parts of the Atlantic Ocean, which are associated with the underwater peaks existing in these areas. Furthermore, close connection between the underwater peaks and the position of the ocean level, it is open and over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Cape Verde Islands and in a number of other places in the World Ocean.
At the end of July 1979, in the Soviet weekly "Abroad" I caught the headline: "A new expedition in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Bermuda Triangle is looking for traces of an ancient civilization." The message was reprinted from Pöpl in Brussels. This information, among other things, said: “A joint Franco - Italian - American scientific expedition set off for the area of \u200b\u200bthe notorious Bermuda Triangle. The purpose of the new trip to this part of the World Ocean, which the rumor called the "Enchanted Sea", is an attempt to discover the remains of an ancient civilization that existed before the civilization of Maya and Ancient Egypt. "
It was also said here that some of the most popular researchers of the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle took part in the expedition: Americans Manson Valentine, a biologist, paleontologist and archaeologist from Miami, Charles Berlitz, one of the largest propagandists of sensations about the Bermuda Triangle and unidentified flying objects, French archaeologist Jacques Mayol and others.
In his book "Without a trace" C. Berlitz placed an image of a pyramid allegedly discovered at the bottom of the ocean.
Jacques Maillol believes that this region of the Atlantic Ocean was once a landmass, sunk under water as a result of melting glaciers. Flying on an airplane over the Bahamas Bank, Mayol saw "artificial changes in the topography" of the bottom, similar to those observed in Peru. Therefore, the main focus of the expedition will be on the search for artificial structures on the ocean floor.
Recently, there have been many reports about the walls of ancient buildings open at the bottom of the ocean, former roads covered with huge stone blocks, and various other structures - "the work of human hands." Their origin and essence are still unclear, so most archaeologists have so far refrained from any conclusions.
In early 1977, the echo sounders of a fishing vessel recorded on the ocean floor, somewhat away from Bermuda, an unevenness that resembles a pyramid. This was the reason for Charles Berlitz to organize a special expedition. In his bestseller "Without a trace" he describes this pyramid, located at a depth of about 400 m below the surface of the ocean, claiming that the height of the pyramid is almost 150 m, the base is about 200 m, and the slope is the same as that of the Cheops pyramid. One of its sides is longer than the others, but Berlitz believes that this is a consequence of the uneven deposition of sedimentary material. If underwater research shows that the pyramid is built of stone blocks, this will dispel doubts about its geometric correctness. And from here, according to the author, a bridge will be thrown linking Ancient Egypt with the lands of maya ...
But so far all this is just one more guess ...
Pangea (gr.) - the whole Earth, Pantalas - the whole ocean.
An altimeter is a device for measuring altitude.
